Rebecca Serle has continued to win me over time and time again. Her novels have a unique quality to them that makes them a genre all their own. They deal with romance, grief and unusual circumstances of universe intervention. Expiration Dates is no exception. It causes you to think about life and relationships and whether you’re truly living or just waiting for something to expire. If you lived In Five Years or One Italian Summer, you will also love Expiration Dates.

Love love love. I cannot stop thinking about this book. The characters were great and relatable and the concept of the book was so intriguing. I’m telling everyone to read this.

What a cute little romance book! I went into this a little hesitant, because while I loved, In Five Years, I could not finish One Italian Summer. I was nervous about the magical realism, because I've learned that is not my favorite trope in a novel. The magical realism aspect was done really well in this novel. The gist is that the protagonist, Daphne, gets notes whenever she is about to enter a relationship, that tells her how long she should expect the relationship to last. This idea is cute, and while it would be much more anxiety inducing to me than it was to Daphne, this magical realism was much more tolerable than I have read in other books. This book was rather short at around 275 pages, and I appreciated that, but at the same time, some of the characters could have been more developed to pack more of a punch as the story progresses. I loved Daphne and the character of Hugo and Murphy the dog, but those were really the only ones I was interested in by the end of the book. 4.25 stars. I'm really glad that I enjoyed this book and I have already recommended it to those who have privately messaged me about it on Instagram.

I just couldn’t get into this title. I didn’t like the first book I read from her so I’m not sure why I thought this would be different.

"Expiration Dates" is a compelling read that will resonate with readers long after they've finished the book.

I really enjoyed this sweet romance with a touch of magical realism. I thought the concept was creative where Daphne randomly receives pieces of paper with a guy’s name on it and the amount of time they will date. Then, one day, she receives a piece of paper without an expiration date on it. From there, we go on this romantic journey with Daphne as she figures out what she truly wants in life while also carrying a big secret and the emotions surrounding it.

This is told in first person POV (Daphne) and has past and present timelines. Sometimes, these dual timelines bother me and feel jarring as we skip back and forth, but it didn’t this time. I really enjoyed learning about Daphne and her past boyfriends. She shares when she received other pieces of paper with names and expiration dates, how she met other guys from her past, and what happened with them. We learn about her through these flashbacks, which made me connect with her more and understand her more in the present. She was a likable character - funny, charming, flawed, guarded, emotional, strong, and confident. I enjoyed watching this character grow and develop throughout the book.

I also enjoyed the romance in this book. It made me laugh, cry, swoon, and everything in between. There is a tiny bit of spice but it’s not too explicit. It did get steamy at times without revealing too much, which I appreciated since I prefer closed-door romances. I loved the banter between Daphne and Jake as well as Hugo, her friend. There is definitely some emotional depth and maturity in this story. I would not consider this a light, fluffy romcom but more of a romance drama with some humor. There is also a nice twist at the end that I didn’t expect.

Daphne was born and raised in Southern California (L.A. area), so there’s a lot of description about this city. The imagery painted by the author was so vivid that it almost felt like I was in CA with the characters. In a way, this story also felt like the author wrote a love letter to this state. It’s quite obvious she knows the area very well as she names streets, restaurants, shops, etc. I felt completely transported to CA.

Daphne also comes from a Jewish family, where we meet her parents, and they are in multiple scenes. So I really enjoyed watching the family dynamics between them and then learning more about the Jewish culture, customs, and habits. I also LOVED a scene toward the end with Daphne and her dad. It was so touching and made me cry. Loved it!

However, this book did lean toward the liberal/progressive side in tone. Also to note, there is one gay side character. And, there is some language.

Overall, this was an incredibly moving, emotional, heartfelt story. It was extremely relatable and thought-provoking. I loved the messages about choosing with your heart and not letting fear stop you. Time isn’t promised to anyone; therefore, we must live for today and not let the fear of the unknown (or future) get the best of us. Life is a choice, and we can choose to live it fully or let it pass us by because we’re too scared of what may or may not be. Never take your time with someone for granted because it is precious, and people come in and out of our lives for a reason. It’s also about vulnerability and not being afraid to open up to others. They may surprise you!

I also appreciated that the chapters were short and overall, it’s a short read. I got through it in just a few days. This is my first book by this author, and I definitely want to read more by her now. Highly recommend!!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. These are my own thoughts and opinions.

Daphne receives a piece of paper with a name and a date on it every time she meets a man...a premonition of how long their relationship will last. From three days to two and a half years, the papers have always been correct. So when Daphne finds a paper with just a name and no date, she realizes that she may have found the love of her life.

Expiration Dates gave me all the feels....I loved every second of this book! There are even a few twists and turns along the way that keep you guessing even after the book is over....

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

3.75 stars = The book has a creative plot where Daphne receives a random piece of paper with a name and expiration date for all of her relationships. When she goes on a first date with Jake, she receives a paper with his name on it and no end date. This begins a journey for Daphne as she tries to learn about herself and what she wants, while also facing major life issues.

However, the pacing of the book was off at times. Some parts were interesting and engaging, but then there were long chapters about random guys she dated in the past. Additionally, the story of her best friend and ex, Hugo, wasn't as long as expected and left the reader wanting more. It would have been nice to learn why Daphne receives the notes. The book was well-written with beautiful details and a creative storyline. It was cozy and relaxing to read, but the pacing could have been better. Overall, I would still recommend this book and look forward to reading more by the author.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I liked the concept of Expiration Dates, but felt like there was something missing. I enjoyed the beginning of the book but as things went along, I could tell I wasn't going to enjoy this one quite as much as Rebecca Serle's other books. There were a few surprises and twists in there, which gave me some hope, but in the end, the book missed the mark for me.
Thanks Net Galley for the ARC!

⭐️: 3/5

Every time Daphne meets a new man who she’ll have a romantic encounter with, she receives a piece of paper from the universe with his name and how long she’ll spend with him. She has been receiving these pieces of paper for 20 years, and they’ve always been accurate, but now, for the first time ever, the piece of paper does not have a length of time on it, just a name: Jake.

I keep coming back and trying Rebecca Serle’s books, in the hopes that I’ll actually like one, because I love her writing style and the way she is able tp vividly paint scenes, and the covers of the books themselves are visually pleasing. However, I just always really don’t like her characters, their relationships to each other, and honestly, the plots in general. I keep looking for the book that will be the exception, but this one wasn’t it. I liked this one in the sense that the premise was interesting, but I just didn’t really enjoy the direction it was taken. I think it would have been more for me if it was more of a conventional romantic comedy, without all the added drama. Also the length, while good in a sense, since I didn’t have to slog through to much of a story that wasn’t really my jam, made it kind of feel like a short story with an extended background, if that makes sense. Overall, not my favorite read, but also not my least favorite by the author. That honor would belong to One Italian Summer. I think it really comes down to me not entirely agreeing with the messages the author conveys and the manner in which she does so throughout her books. Something about it just gives me the ick.

Thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for this free eARC!!

Synopsis: Every time Daphne meets a new man she finds a piece of paper with a number on it indicating how long the relationship will last. When she meets Jake and receives a paper with his name and no number, she assumes that means he is the one. As their relationship progresses, Daphne begins to question the prediction.
Thoughts: This is definitely my favorite Rebecca Serle book so far! With such an interesting premise, I went in not knowing what to expect. The focus of the story was obviously Daphne's romantic life, but there ended up being some surprises within the plot that added so much depth and heartbreak. I don't want to say too much because I think I enjoyed knowing as little as possible going in. There is a twist that you very well might figure out - but the journey to get there is lovely.
There are also some twists I definitely didn't see coming, and I loved the unique way the author revealed things. Daphne was a very relatable character, and I was rooting for her happiness the whole time. I read both the ebook and the audio, but I highly recommend the audio narrated by my favorite Julia Whelan!
Read this if you like:
* magical realism
* women's fiction slow burn romance
* chronic disease rep
Some favorite quotes:
"Learning to be broken is learning to be whole."
"Even if there's not a reason for everything there may be a reason for everyone."

The first half of this book I was unreasonably emotional. I wanted to cry but nothing sad was happening and I didn’t know why. It was just the vibes. Then the sad stuff started happening and I cried like a baby off and on for the rest of the book. This story is incredibly moving and full of poignant prose about love and life. I think the author wrote this to make me sad and she did her work well.

This was a very cute feel good novel. Exactly what you expect from Rebecca Serle. Her touch of magical realism is so fun and her description of human emotion is fantastic. This is a must read this spring.

I love how different all of Rebecca Serle’s novels are! Daphne knows just how long every relationship will last via unexplained notes that she receives and as she begins to accept this as fate, she encounters some hardships that force her to confront if she’s ever wanted to ignore the notes and choose for herself. I enjoyed Daphne’s journey and as always there’s always something unexpected that makes the story richer.

Thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, Simon & Schuster for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What an interesting and thought-provoking premise! Every time Daphne Bell meets a new man, she magically receives a piece of paper with his name and the amount of time they will be together. My advice ... just go with it!

In Expiration Dates, we get to go along on Daphne's dating journey over many years, with the knowledge of how long each relationship will last. How does that affect Daphne and the decisions she makes? How much effort does she put into her relationships knowing how long they will last? Does she ever let the duration she is told dictate the outcome? Is it fair to her boyfriends that she has this information?

This book ended up being more serious than I expected. I probably would have enjoyed more funny moments and playfulness, but it's good! I liked Daphne, Jake, Hugo, Irina and the boyfriends she had along the way. It definitely makes you think about how having secret and privileged information about the future affects our decisions. After I finished, I still found myself wanting to see more of the future. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC.

Seems like I've been reading a lot of books recently that deal with time. Would we proceed differently if we knew the expiration dates for our relationships, jobs or even our own life. Rebecca Serle's newest book brings up these questions and makes the reader think more about enjoying life in the moment and not waiting until it's too late. Since a lot of the story was told in flashbacks to various relationships, it was a bit of a challenge to keep track of all the characters. I also had to re-read various passages to determine exactly who was speaking or what the original question was when the answer followed the character's unspoken thoughts. Overall, I enjoyed the book and will seek out other books by this author. Thanks to NetGalley, Atria books and the author for an advance copy to read and review.

Thank you Atria Books for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own. This took me a little while to get into but then I couldn’t put it down. Once she shares her heart condition, I felt like the story picked up for me. I normally love alternating timelines but this time it felt like it took a little of the story’s momentum. I would get wrapped up Daphne’s story and then it would dip back to a past relationship.

I was very intrigued by Daphne’s story and her romances that lasted as long as the paper notes dictated. Despite her health issues she’s traveled or lived and loved in different places. I’m sure she got used to trusting in the notes, but I’m not sure I wouldn’t have tried to push the limits, especially for Hugo. I was very surprised when he said be changed the note she received for Jake. I was very torn between the two men. There were clearly still feelings between her and Hugo, but Jake was such a good guy. I did ultimately enjoy the ending but would’ve loved more of Hugo and Daphne’s reconnection.

Expiration dates can mean so many things, but Rebecca Serle tackles some big life decisions and acknowledges there are expiration dates for things. Her raw honesty told through Daphne's story about being single and all that comes with that was spot on! Imagine if we knew how long our relationships last. Daphne receives small pieces of paper with that exact information, helping guide her through the universe's plan for her life. However, one note appears with no expiration date and Daphne learns to lean into her latest relationship with Jake while navigating friendships with her boss, colleague, and ex turned bestie. The characters felt like people I could sit in my living room with and talk to for hours! Readers go along on the journey with Daphne, who learns what it means to live, honestly communicate with oneself and others, and see the world beyond an expiration date. Well done Rebecca Serle! Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for this early copy for an honest review!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was so intrigued by the concept of this book that I immediately requested it on netgalley. The idea that this girl gets a note of some sort at the start of every relationship that tells her how long the relationship is going to last to the day but never knows who it comes from or how its happening is such a unique storyline that hooked me from the start.

I really enjoyed this story. Read it all in one night. It was an easy and engaging read. I liked the characters and the flashbacks to the past explaining the past relationships and their expiration dates and how it all went down. I found it interesting that Hugo, one of the more relatively shorter relationships, was still around and in Daphne’s life in a big capacity. I wanted to know more about their relationship and what it was like and how it ended. I was sucked in to them from the start and knew there had to be more to it.

I thought the added element of Daphne’s heart condition made the whole expiration dates thing even more poignant because Daphne, although always knowing the end dates of her relationships, had no idea if she would make it to those dates or if she had some sort of unknown expiration date herself.

I liked Jake but thought it was odd that his note didn't have a date and i found it a little too easy with him, boring almost for Daphne. I was surprised this was her non-expiring relationship. It didn't seem like it fit. It was soon clear why.

Overall, a wonderful and unique read! Highly recommend.

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle releases on March 19.

📚Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ~ 4 stars

Wow, okay. This book was definitely different. I loved the premise and I was having difficulty with the characters at first. They felt… distant. Josh and Daphne’s relationship felt suffocated and there was no chemistry. But… then I think maybe that’s the point because I got to the middle and I was like WHAT! 😂 Then I got to the end and I was like WAIT WHAT!! I also really want to know more about these pieces of paper… those would’ve saved me a lot of time back in the day.

Read this if you like:
💌 A touch of magical realism
💌 Minimal spice (there’s a little bit but it’s not explicit)
💌 A detached main character
💌 Strong friendships and family ties
💌 Receiving notes